Narrative:

We departed naples, fl, at XC00 for a pleasure flight to venice and landed at venice at XC45 on runway 4. I exited onto the taxi strip as indicated on the attached sketch A1. At that time, I noticed the swift at position S1. We proceeded to taxi and assumed the swift would taxi clear and hold at position S2. This is the normal procedure at venice for oncoming traffic. That is, the first aircraft to reach the closed runway gives oncoming traffic access to the taxiway. The swift passed the S2 point without pulling off. At this point, I became worried that he did not see the aztec. A second later, I was sure he did not see us and firewalled both engines and shoved full right rudder to clear. Unfortunately our left wingtips met. The swift stopped at point S4 on the taxiway and the aztec on the grass A3. At no point did the swift attempt evasive action. After deplaning both aircraft, the swift pilot said in front of 3 witnesses that he had never seen the aztec and was first aware of its presence when he heard the engines going to full power. He also stated that it was his fault for not observing the aztec and thanked me for attempting to pull clear. Incident avoidable had swift pilot used diligence in looking forward. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: both pilots of this mishap were contacted by phone. The pilot flying the aztec is a designated FAA examiner. The swift pilot believes that the FAA gave both pilots a 'warning letter' so that the FAA would not have to go after the aztec pilot's certificates. Each pilot said that their insurance company is going after the other insurance company, of course. The swift pilot's insurance adjuster said that the aztec pilot was completed to blame as he saw the swift coming but did nothing till the last min to avoid him. There are no signs regarding the right-of-way on the very narrow taxiway. The swift pilot did not hear on CTAF any xmissions from the aztec, either in the air or on the ground. The aztec pilot was able to fly out the next day with minor damage to the wingtip. The swift is still being worked on with major damage to the left wing. Supplemental information from acn 301359: I taxied to the closed runway intersection, s-turning the airplane all the way to that point where I looked down the next section of taxiway. I saw no traffic or I would have taxied off onto the closed runway and waited. I had gone about 2/3 of the way down that taxiway, s-turning all the way down when I heard an engine(south) come up to full power. As I s-turned to the right, I see this twin engine airplane going off the taxiway. I tried to avoid the accident immediately by turning to the right even more so, but it was too late. Our wingtips had collided. He stopped his airplane in the grass. I then headed off the taxiway onto the grass beside him and shut down my engine. When the pilot of the aztec and I started talking, his comments were 'I saw you coming down the taxiway, didn't you see me?' the adjuster said he went to the site where the accident happened and there were 2 men from the FAA there. They all agreed the accident occurred south of the closed runway on the narrow taxiway just like I had said it did. The other pilot said it happened north of the closed runway on the wide taxiway. He also said the aztec pilot never should have tried to get on my taxiway until I had cleared the parallel taxiway for runway 4.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: 2 SMAS HIT THEIR L WINGTIPS ON A NARROW TXWY. 1 ACFT SAW THE OTHER BUT DID NOT GIVE WAY. THE OTHER DIDN'T SEE THE ONCOMING ACFT. NEITHER ACFT WAS USING THE CTAF.

Narrative: WE DEPARTED NAPLES, FL, AT XC00 FOR A PLEASURE FLT TO VENICE AND LANDED AT VENICE AT XC45 ON RWY 4. I EXITED ONTO THE TAXI STRIP AS INDICATED ON THE ATTACHED SKETCH A1. AT THAT TIME, I NOTICED THE SWIFT AT POS S1. WE PROCEEDED TO TAXI AND ASSUMED THE SWIFT WOULD TAXI CLR AND HOLD AT POS S2. THIS IS THE NORMAL PROC AT VENICE FOR ONCOMING TFC. THAT IS, THE FIRST ACFT TO REACH THE CLOSED RWY GIVES ONCOMING TFC ACCESS TO THE TXWY. THE SWIFT PASSED THE S2 POINT WITHOUT PULLING OFF. AT THIS POINT, I BECAME WORRIED THAT HE DID NOT SEE THE AZTEC. A SECOND LATER, I WAS SURE HE DID NOT SEE US AND FIREWALLED BOTH ENGS AND SHOVED FULL R RUDDER TO CLR. UNFORTUNATELY OUR L WINGTIPS MET. THE SWIFT STOPPED AT POINT S4 ON THE TXWY AND THE AZTEC ON THE GRASS A3. AT NO POINT DID THE SWIFT ATTEMPT EVASIVE ACTION. AFTER DEPLANING BOTH ACFT, THE SWIFT PLT SAID IN FRONT OF 3 WITNESSES THAT HE HAD NEVER SEEN THE AZTEC AND WAS FIRST AWARE OF ITS PRESENCE WHEN HE HEARD THE ENGS GOING TO FULL PWR. HE ALSO STATED THAT IT WAS HIS FAULT FOR NOT OBSERVING THE AZTEC AND THANKED ME FOR ATTEMPTING TO PULL CLR. INCIDENT AVOIDABLE HAD SWIFT PLT USED DILIGENCE IN LOOKING FORWARD. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: BOTH PLTS OF THIS MISHAP WERE CONTACTED BY PHONE. THE PLT FLYING THE AZTEC IS A DESIGNATED FAA EXAMINER. THE SWIFT PLT BELIEVES THAT THE FAA GAVE BOTH PLTS A 'WARNING LETTER' SO THAT THE FAA WOULD NOT HAVE TO GO AFTER THE AZTEC PLT'S CERTIFICATES. EACH PLT SAID THAT THEIR INSURANCE COMPANY IS GOING AFTER THE OTHER INSURANCE COMPANY, OF COURSE. THE SWIFT PLT'S INSURANCE ADJUSTER SAID THAT THE AZTEC PLT WAS COMPLETED TO BLAME AS HE SAW THE SWIFT COMING BUT DID NOTHING TILL THE LAST MIN TO AVOID HIM. THERE ARE NO SIGNS REGARDING THE RIGHT-OF-WAY ON THE VERY NARROW TXWY. THE SWIFT PLT DID NOT HEAR ON CTAF ANY XMISSIONS FROM THE AZTEC, EITHER IN THE AIR OR ON THE GND. THE AZTEC PLT WAS ABLE TO FLY OUT THE NEXT DAY WITH MINOR DAMAGE TO THE WINGTIP. THE SWIFT IS STILL BEING WORKED ON WITH MAJOR DAMAGE TO THE L WING. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 301359: I TAXIED TO THE CLOSED RWY INTXN, S-TURNING THE AIRPLANE ALL THE WAY TO THAT POINT WHERE I LOOKED DOWN THE NEXT SECTION OF TXWY. I SAW NO TFC OR I WOULD HAVE TAXIED OFF ONTO THE CLOSED RWY AND WAITED. I HAD GONE ABOUT 2/3 OF THE WAY DOWN THAT TXWY, S-TURNING ALL THE WAY DOWN WHEN I HEARD AN ENG(S) COME UP TO FULL PWR. AS I S-TURNED TO THE R, I SEE THIS TWIN ENG AIRPLANE GOING OFF THE TXWY. I TRIED TO AVOID THE ACCIDENT IMMEDIATELY BY TURNING TO THE R EVEN MORE SO, BUT IT WAS TOO LATE. OUR WINGTIPS HAD COLLIDED. HE STOPPED HIS AIRPLANE IN THE GRASS. I THEN HEADED OFF THE TXWY ONTO THE GRASS BESIDE HIM AND SHUT DOWN MY ENG. WHEN THE PLT OF THE AZTEC AND I STARTED TALKING, HIS COMMENTS WERE 'I SAW YOU COMING DOWN THE TXWY, DIDN'T YOU SEE ME?' THE ADJUSTER SAID HE WENT TO THE SITE WHERE THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED AND THERE WERE 2 MEN FROM THE FAA THERE. THEY ALL AGREED THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED S OF THE CLOSED RWY ON THE NARROW TXWY JUST LIKE I HAD SAID IT DID. THE OTHER PLT SAID IT HAPPENED N OF THE CLOSED RWY ON THE WIDE TXWY. HE ALSO SAID THE AZTEC PLT NEVER SHOULD HAVE TRIED TO GET ON MY TXWY UNTIL I HAD CLRED THE PARALLEL TXWY FOR RWY 4.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.